The Nightmare of Peter Pan
by Shahismael
Summary: One Shot - A take on the final duel of Peter Pan following the inspiration of the New World of Darkness Changeling RPG - What if Tinkerbell was a Fae and Wonderland, her world to play with.


Peter Pan laughed as he swooped down to strike at his foe Captain Hook. The Lost Boys were fighting the pirates and rescuing Wendy and her brothers from their twisted clutches.

Hook snarled as he parried the thrust, his strength greater and fuelled by desperation, "You don't understand! None of you understand! Each time it happens, you lose, you will always lose in the end. Do you think you're the first?" Hook slashed and Pan dodged the blow, joyful laughter filling the air as he span through the air. "Do you think this is the first time I've done this? I've beaten you before boy, so many times, this happens and nothing I can do will change it." He blocked Pan's overhead slash with contemptuous ease as he forced the boy back, a series of hammer blows from above, prevented Peter from flying away. "Its always the same. The Queen sends you to find her, to bring them here for the final fight. We battle when she is threatened, the final duel. The Captain who breaks her and the Innocent who saves her. And we always choose Her over our Queen."

Distracted by Hooks madness, Peter's back slammed into the ships mast and his laughter died as he looked into the maddened and pain filled eyes of Hook as he felt the man's strength overpower his.

"Always. Always we make the same choice." Hook pinned Peter's arm to the mast with his hook and brought them close, his words for Peter alone, his tone once full of rage and hate turned now to desperate fear. "Save her. Free her. Send her home. Now. Before its too late. Do not become me." Hook grabbed Peters other hand, the blade humming in his hand and brought the blade up between Hooks ribs.

Peter blinked as the man he had fought for so long smiled at him, a smile he knew so well, for he saw it in his own reflection. They fell and twisted together, the blade coming free with a noise that would haunt Peters dreams for so long. Together they found themselves sitting with their backs against the mast, the battle rapidly falling silent around them as it all came to an end.

Peter's eyes followed the blood slowly dripping from the length of the blade, following the shape of the hateful thing, the glamour of a heroes blade now gone, leaving the twisted but still shining silver that hid a heart of hunger and hate, forged from his Queens malice and pain.

Hook smiled softly as he patted the boys leg, his once white shirt rapidly turning red with his life's blood. "Thank you," his words whispered as if afraid to utter them, make them real. "I'm free, finally free." He looked up and reached out a hand, shaking from the effort, "My beautiful girl. I promised you. Happily ever..." Hooks body went limp as his last breath fled his lips, falling over like a puppet who's strings had finally been cut.

But his smile.

It was free.

Peter sighed as he dropped the blade, rubbing his hand on his trousers, trying to get the blood off his skin, but it clung and stained the flesh, he could feel it, right down to the bone. He staggered to his feet and looked around, the pirates all lay at rest, their wounds brutal and final and the boys, his Lost Boys all stood looking around, finally waking from the Dream of the game they had been playing for so long, horror filling their eyes at what they had done.

And the pirates each looked to be at peace, free at last.

Peter blinked away the confusion as he realised what would soon come.

The final act, the final choice.

His Queen was coming and now he understood.

He ran and grabbed Wendy and her brothers, "Tootles! Take her, take them! Get them home now! Please!"

Wendy frowned as she looked at Peter in confusion, "What? Why? Peter. What's happening?"

He stroked her cheek, understanding Hook now more than he had ever imagined. "You must go. You aren't safe here, not now. Tootles will take you home and then return here. You must never speak of this place, do not say our names. Be safe."

A great bell began to toll across the island as the clouds turned dark, a storm was coming and Peter would do all he could to hold it back. To keep her safe.

Peter looked into Wendy's tear filled eyes and gave her a kiss holding all his heart. "That was my secret kiss and it will be yours for all eternity. Now you must go!"

Tootles nodded and sprinkled fairy dust over them, grabbing their hands to lead them away.

Peter and the Lost Boys watched as the four dots faded and disappeared into the clouds and returned to the Mortal World through the Hedge, beyond her reach.

The ringing of the great bell twisted and became a faint tinkling as the Queen of Neverland set foot upon the deck of the ship.

No more Glamour's, no more lies. Now she stood in her full splendour, the Mantle of her Power settled fully across her shoulders, garbed in a dress of emerald leaves that accentuated rather than hid her mature femininity, her wings of gossamer shining like oil on water. None could truly look upon her glory, the perfection of it would burn their eyes and sanity away in wonder. Her voice, rich and sultry, filled their minds, words never heard but burnt into their memories.

"Peter. My darling Peter."

Peter shuddered as her shadow fell upon him, the cold caress of her presence stroked along his soul and he felt her eyes narrow as she felt the fractures of his rebellion. The burning of a forest fire echoed in her words as she held her rage back. "Peter? What have you done?"

"I've won. Hook is dead at my hand."

An ivory hand stroked along his cheek, a mirror to his own against Wendy's just minutes earlier, the touch burning in its cold intensity. "So you did, and I am so proud. The story has come to an end, but we're not quite finished. There's still the finale."

"I see it now, I see the tale, I remember my name, my real name, the one I was given by my parents."

The fingers flickered in sudden movement and held his chin in a grip as if a mountain had taken hold of his flesh. "No. I gave you your name. Your True Name. You are Peter, you have been since the day I found you. My Peter Pan. My beautiful boy, Peter who saved me from James, the one I gave my heart to." Her voice turned wistful as if lost to memory, "I killed her for you and you hurt me for it. Why? We were happy. We were a family. Together. Us and our boys."

Peter gathered his courage and looked up to meet the eyes of his Queen, "Tinkerbell... Tink. Please. I'm so tired, can I please rest? Please, let us go."

Tinkerbell smiled as she released his chin and ran her fingers through his hair, her nails scraping against his scalp, "Do you love me?"

Peter buried the truth deep within him as he lied to her face. "Yes!"

Her head cocked to one side as she examined all his features. "Above all others?"

Peter managed to smile as he answered, screaming in his mind at the inhuman beauty with human eyes looking upon him. "Of course!"

Tink leant in close, her whispered words breathed upon into his ear, full of lust and desire. "Then offer me her heart. Sacrifice Wendy's heart to me and you will be free."

Peters eyes widened in horror and his heart broke a little at the demand, his pain clear for all to hear as he answered her. "I... I can't..."

Tinkerbell stood back for a moment, a sneer crossing her features as she took him by his left hand and began to squeeze down on his wrist, her other hand grasped him by the back of his neck. "Then it's time for the roles to change, it's time for you to become my dearest James. It's time for you to become Captain Hook." And then she met his lips with her own to plunder his mouth as she stole his scream whilst her fingers upon his wrist flowed into his flesh and she sculpted his hand into a hook.

00000

 **AN:**

This story idea actually came from when I read up a bit on how some of the Fae play their games in the World of Darkness RPG Changeling. I was talking with a friend about it and I suddenly pulled up the concept of Tinkerbell being a Fae who played the same game, again and again until she gets the result she desired. And then I thought, what if once upon a time, a Wendy managed to kill the original Tinkerbell to save Peter but then I thought, that's not how the old fairy tales would have gone, those stories are nasty and full of blood and nightmares.

So Wendy killed Tink to protect Peter, but Peter turned on her for it, perhaps in revenge, perhaps madness, or perhaps simply to be free. Wendy kills him to defend herself and in her unexpected victory over the story the Fae had forged, she takes up the Mantle of Tinkerbell, becoming the Queen of Neverland.

All she wants is for Peter to love her as he did once long ago and to choose her over the other woman. To free them both of the game and bring the story to an end.

So Peter becomes Hook and the Lost Boys become the Pirates as more children are gathered and shaped to fill the missing roles in the tale. Then one day, when everything is ready, she sends Peter back to the Mortal World to find his Wendy, a few glamour's and mind magic's and the end of the tale begins once more as she searches for an ending to her story.

It's been a long time.


End file.
